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Cosmo and Clubs

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by saem22, Feb 4, 2014.

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  1. saem22

    saem22 Newbie

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    My Trip Report

    I have been to vegas about 15 times, but this is my first trip report. I love reading them, so I thought I would write one. I have lived abroad for a year and a half, so I hadn't been to Vegas in a while, but was excited to go back! I was supposed to fly out Monday night connecting through Chicago, but bad weather in Chicago cancelled my flight. They put me on the first flight out on Tuesday morning. I had planned to go to the Grand Canyon on Tuesday with my parents, so that day trip had to be cancelled. They made it out on the first flight Monday morning, but all flights later in the day were cancelled.

    My flight Tuesday was fine. Arrived around 1030 and my parents picked me up from the airport. I was hungry, so we went to La Cantina at Tuscany Suites for Mexican food. I had my first torta(Mexican sandwich)..delicious and cheap!! They were staying at Flamingo, so we went and dropped my stuff off and hit the casino.

    We played blackjack. The first dealer wasn't great. She was speedy and unfriendly. She was replaced by a nice young Filipino man. He was great and talkative and I was winning! Bought in for $50 and cashed out at $125. I love to gamble, but never have much luck in Vegas, so I take my winnings when I get them.

    We went to the room to take a rest. For dinner we hit In-n-Out Burger. It was good as usual. After dinner we valeted the car and hit the tables again. We played at Paris in their party pit. I bought in for $50 and lost not too long after, but my parents were still playing so I just hung out at the table. The speakers are right above the tables playing music on full blast. You couldn't hear anything! There was a Chinese woman at the table who was playing blackjack for the first time. She was too funny..asked the cocktail waitress for a beer with no ice! Tried to teach her about doubles and splits, but with the loud music it was impossible. She doubled her money though so she left happy!

    The next morning we were up early and went to Egg Works with a groupon my mom had. Very good breakfast though far from the strip if you don't have a car. We went downtown to play there. Started at Golden Nugget. I think everyone lost there and we went onto El Cortez for some free play. My mom quickly lost those on the slots and we went to the blackjack tables. My mom bought in for $100 and gave me half :) I was up probably over $100 and gave my mom back her $50 and played down to $25 and took that with me. We had to go pick up my friend from the airport who was arriving from JFK. We went to Peppermill for lunch. Just split some appetizers: nachos and chicken fingers. The food was good and huge portions that we didn't even finish between the 4 of us.

    My friend and I checked into the Cosmo. I received an email a few weeks before for 2 nights comped and I quickly booked them. Passed the email onto my mom who was also able to book there. It was my first time staying there and Cosmo is beautiful!! Checked in and asked for a room with a view. Was told for $50 a night we could. My friend and I looked unsure and he went down to $40. We had to take it considering we hadn't initially paid anything for the room. OMG the room was beautiful and the view was even better. We were overlooking the Bellagio fountains in the west tower. I set the standard really high for my friend considering this was her first time in Vegas. We dropped our stuff and went out exploring. First we stopped at a slot machine to get a free drink. Spotted a cocktail waitress and sat down right there. She brought us some martinis..delicious, but not very strong. We were off to the strip. My friend was shocked that we could just bring the glasses outside. She asked if we had to bring them back when we we're done. Nope!! We walked down to Encore because we wanted to get on the guest list for Surrender that night. Got on easily enough. We walked back to Cosmo and rested because our feet were already killing us.

    Rested then got ready and taxied to Surrender. It costed about $15 with tip. Surrender had open bar for ladies until 12. We cashed in on that. Surrender was fun, but lots of it was outside around the pool. It wasn't too cold outside and there were heaters. Lots of locals there that night which makes sense considering it was Wednesday. We left around 330 and collapsed immediately once in the room.

    We were up pretty early on Thursday, but laid in bed for a bit. Went across the street to Planet Hollywood mall for breakfast. I think the name of the restaurant was Cabo Wabo. Definitely a cool view. Sat overlooking the strip. Average breakfast food. The only thing I didn't like was the loud rock music. It was too early for that after my long night.

    Next we met up with my parents who checked into the Cosmo and got a complimentary upgrade with an even nicer room than we had to pay for! We walked down to NYNY to play some blackjack. My friend had only gambled one time in her life, so I was helping her. The dealer was the worst I've ever seen! He never said one word and even though he knew my friend was a beginner he did not slow down or help her. One time she said hit on a 15 against a 6 showing and before I could say No!! He gave her a card and she busted. After that I said I'm done with this table. We all got up and made it clear we were unhappy with him. We had to wait for our drinks and while we were waiting a new dealer came. I saw his name tag said he was from Korea and I live there now so I said hello to him in Korean. I'm sure he was surprised and he said sit down. My mom and I sat down again while my friend and father just watched. This dealer was so nice. We talked lots about Korea and he tested my limited knowledge of the language. We stayed until he went to break and the other rude dealer came back.

    At this point it was the afternoon and we were exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before. But we didn't have anytime to rest. I had gotten us KA tickets from myVegas and we were gonna go to the 7 o'clock show followed by going to Hakkasan nightclub both at MGM. We got ready and stopped at Secret Pizza in Cosmo to grab a couple slices. The pizza was really good from quality ingredients..or maybe I've been in Korea too long? It was about $15 for 2 slices and a drink. Expensive, but its the Strip. We cabbed it over to MGM and we made it just as the show was starting. I thought the story was really confusing and didn't really get it, but I still liked the show. They make everything look so easy and I know it's not! For free it was even better I would never pay face value ($142) though.

    After the show we sat in the sports book and waited for the club to open. We were told by a promoter that there were 2 floors a hip hop floor and the main floor with EDM. My friend and I prefer hip hop over straight EDM. We get there and the club was reallllly nice. We got some free drinks and then asked a worker where the hip hop floor was. He said it was closed that night! Ahhh house music all night!! Our feet were killing us from consecutive nights wearing 5" heels and walking lots all day long. Luckily we were invited over to a table of older guys. We got drinks from them, but we were honestly happy just to be able to sit down. The guys were so lame. They were probably all over 40 (we're 24!) Most of them didn't even speak to us and the two that did were not very interesting.. Cause they're so old they left by 1AM and we had to work our way to another table. We got to one on the main dance floor. These guys were drinking whiskey and asked if we wanted a drink. They gave my friend one with lots of juice and I declined cause I don't like whiskey, but they still made me one. I took a sip and it tasted like straight whiskey. Yuck! def didn't take another sip of it. The music there sucked the whole night, but we made the best of it and danced like we loved it. I think I knew 1 or 2 songs over the 4 hours we were there. We were tired, so we decided to leave around 3. I looked down at the floor while walking out and found $25! Yes!! That paid for almost the whole night!

    The next morning we were up early again. We went to the Mirage Cravings buffet because my mom gave us a 2 for 1 coupon. It was about $25 for brunch for the 2 of us. I don't think it would have been worth it for $50. The food was all pretty good. Lots of Asian food, seafood, carving station and breakfast food. The buffet came with free beer and wine, but the last thing we wanted for breakfast was that.

    I wanted to show my friend inside the Venetian, so we walked over. We met a promoter for Surrender. We said we had already been there and wanted to go to Marquee. He said Marquee is all house music and we wouldn't like it. He said we should go to Surrender for their open bar and then go to XS next door at the Wynn. We could always end our night at Marquee because we stayed at the Cosmo. He really sold us on this, so we agreed to club hopping out last night..I had a 620AM flight back to Korea the next morning so I needed to leave to the airport at about 445. I just planned on not sleeping..I could always sleep on the plane.

    Our last night we were staying at MGM free from myVegas. We were gonna stay there 2 nights, but after I got the Cosmo offer I cancelled one and lost out on my 3rd reward. We went and checked in there. Luckily my parents were gambling there and joined the check in line while waiting for us. The line was massive as it was Friday afternoon before Super Bowl weekend. We had to pay the resort fee and got a room on the 12th floor. It was perfectly fine, but a big downgrade from our room at Cosmo.

    I wanted to run to the grocery store to grab a couple things I can't get in Korea. So off we went. Then my friend heard my mom talking about In-n-Out burger and she wanted to try one. So we went back there. Then my mom wanted to go to a Japanese restaurant Ichiza to try this honey toast that was in an article of 50 food items you need to try in Vegas. We all shared one. I thought it was okay, but I'm biased because there is something similar to it in Korea and it is much better there.

    We returned to MGM and got ready for the night. We were gonna start at 9 at Lavo because they had free bottle service and appetizers for ladies. Only in Vegas does stuff like this happen. We sat with 3 other girls there and drank our free drinks. The appetizers were a little too fancy for me. I tried a prosciutto wrapped date, but I wasn't a fan. Around 1030 we headed to Surrender. We thought we were gonna get a stamp at XS, but as we walked by it we knew we weren't. We went into Surrender. Had some free drinks and the music was pretty good, but after over an hour there we wanted to go to XS. We asked our promoter and he's like don't worry it's still early! Hmmm I know the later it is the harder it is to get in these clubs. Then he disappeared and we left trying to figure it out on our own. We got to XS and the line was really long and not moving. We became really frustrated and figured we were gonna have to pay, so we just decided to go to Marquee where we had a room key(from my parents room) so we thought we could get in there more easily. We told the can driver Cosmo, but as we sat there we realized how exhausted we were an just told him to go to MGM. Our big plans for the night failed miserably and we just went to sleep.

    I got a wake up call at 430AM and met my parents downstairs. The casino was still full of people. I got to the airport and of course it was empty. Said some tearful goodbyes and made it right through security. Boarded my United flight to LAX and fell immediately asleep. Woke up and noticed we still weren't moving. They had to fix some mechanical problems and my 45 minute flight took over 1.5 hours, but better safe than sorry. I also had a 4 hour layover in LA, so it didn't really matter. Found the international terminal at LAX and flew Thai Air back to Korea. 13 hour flight, but I was able to sleep for most of it. Its amazing how much leg room and amazing service there is on Asian airlines compared to American ones! Left Vegas at 620AM Saturday and arrived at 630 PM Sunday...and had to drag myself into work Monday morning..I was jetlagged to say the least!

    Every time I go to Las Vegas I love it even more! It never gets old. My friend def fell in love with it too..how could she not..it was so cheap for all the things we did! We are already planning a trip for when I come home in the fall!
     
  2. Leesh

    Leesh Low-Roller

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    Nothing better than finding free $$! Too bad you didn't get to see XS, it's def one of the best. But sounds like you girls had fun anyway. Thanks for posting!
     
  3. dannyg1001

    dannyg1001 Low-Roller

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    Thats my kind of trip report! Thanks for that! Makes me look forward to my trip in 3 weeks....
     
  4. gazilionar

    gazilionar Tourist

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    "I looked down at the floor while walking out and found $25! Yes!! That paid for almost the whole night!"

    ah to be a girl in vegas...
     
  5. sybgal

    sybgal VIP Whale

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    Enjoyed your report....thanks for posting!!
     
  6. saem22

    saem22 Newbie

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    Haven't been gone a week and didn't spend a dollar in their casino and Cosmo just sent me another offer for 2 free nights!! Too bad I can't take advantage of them!
     
  7. throwbackid

    throwbackid Guest

    They are hurting thats why they are sending out so many offers. I am a mid range BJ player $25-$200 a hand probably a $50 ave bet and I haven't paid for a room there in 3 years. It has actually went downhill pretty far since its opening a few years back but when its free its hard to pass up.
     
  8. worldtraveler661

    worldtraveler661 VIP Whale

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    Thats the right rating to get comped rooms. If you werent getting rooms at $50 a hand, then something is wrong.
     
  9. Viva Las Vegas

    Viva Las Vegas Elvis has left the building

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    Excellent trip report!

    Cosmo and Wynn are looking for $250-$300 / hand / 4hrs per day. Aria, Bellagio and V/P likely close to the same. You'll get comped for $50 at MC, Excalibur, maybe TI.

    I get the same offers from Cosmo based on a couple rated plays. I think they bumped my average because I tip well when the shoe is good and the pit looks to take care of the dealers. Hope I get another 2 night offer for my next trip (usually S-Th are available). Asked a host in the HLM what they are looking for and they said $200-$300/4 hours.
     
  10. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    I thoroughly enjoyed the report. I like hip hop better than EDM too but I try to enjoy wherever I go. Pretty cool getting those seats in the club when you were tired! I hope I get another Cosmo offer because I could not use the first one! I will be staying at MGM through MyVegas too. You didn't find the room too small?
     
  11. worldtraveler661

    worldtraveler661 VIP Whale

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    Hmm. A couple friends I go with usually does avg of $50-100 hand just 5-6 hrs a day. We been getting comped rooms with that. Maybe not the Lanai Suite, Bungalows or even Terrace Suite. Just the regular rooms, but thats just fine for us.
    I know the Cosmo hosts are hard to deal with than others but maybe they got one that just hooks them up. But we do come more often than most people probably do.
     
  12. saem22

    saem22 Newbie

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    sco5123..

    I didn't think the MGM room was bad at all. It was just your standard hotel room. I have heard people talk about their not being a door on the bathroom, but we had a door. For free (or the $28 resort fee) I can't complain about it.
     
  13. dfalk

    dfalk VIP Whale

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    lol I was gonna quote and say the exact same thing!
     
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